The American Trucking Associations reported a small improvement in truck freight activity to close out the year, with its Truck Tonnage Index rising 0.4 percent in December. The gain marked the second straight month of positive movement following sharp declines earlier in the fall.
While the increase points to some stabilization, overall freight levels remain subdued compared to recent years.
Freight Volumes Improve but Remain Soft
ATA’s advanced seasonally adjusted For Hire Truck Tonnage Index reached 112.9 in December, up from 112.4 in November. The index uses 2015 as its base year at 100 and reflects changes in tonnage hauled by for-hire carriers.
December’s reading represented a 0.9 percent increase compared with the same month in 2024, after year-over-year declines in September and October. Despite that improvement, freight activity for the quarter showed continued weakness.
“For the fourth quarter, the index average fell 1.8% from the third quarter, the largest sequential quarterly decline since the second quarter of 2023, and was down 0.3% from the final three months in 2024,” ATA said.
The seasonally adjusted gain for November remained unchanged from what ATA first reported in its December 23 press release.
Economic Headwinds Continue to Weigh on Freight
ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said broader economic conditions are still limiting freight growth, even with back-to-back monthly gains.
“Despite two consecutive gains, tonnage remains at low levels as the freight metric contracted a total of 2.7% in September and October,” Costello said. “Soft manufacturing and construction activity are continuing to suppress freight levels, as they did for much of last year. For 2025 in total, tonnage rose just 0.1% over the 2024 average, although it was the first annual gain since 2022.”
Those sectors play a major role in freight demand, and continued softness there has kept trucking volumes from rebounding more strongly.
Raw Tonnage Shows Sharper Month-to-Month Jump
On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, which reflects raw changes in freight hauled, the index showed a larger month to month increase. The not seasonally adjusted index rose to 111.9 in December, compared with 107.3 in November, a 4.3 percent increase.
Seasonal shipping patterns often drive larger swings in the raw data at the end of the year, particularly around holiday-related freight.
What the Data Signals Going Into 2026
For truck drivers and industry stakeholders, December’s numbers suggest freight conditions may be stabilizing after a volatile fall, but not yet strengthening in a meaningful way. The modest gains point to slow forward momentum rather than a sharp recovery.
ATA’s data reinforces that freight demand entering 2026 remains closely tied to broader economic performance, particularly in manufacturing and construction sectors that will continue to shape trucking volumes in the months ahead.
Source: The Trucker
